India suffer a major setback ahead of the Champions Trophy tournament that will begin later this month. At the moment, the team management is battling a massive injury scare as star keeper Sanju Samson fractured his index finger while facing thunderbolts from Archer in the fifth T20I at the Wankhede.
His injury comes at a time when India is actively gearing up for the ODI series and the forthcoming Champions Trophy tournament. Samson will not play any role in the upcoming white-ball assignments for India for the time being but the injury will certainly keep him away from crucial Ranji Trophy quarterfinals.
More on Sanju Samson’s finger injury
Samson was struck by a fiery back-of-a-length delivery from Archer which was bowled at almost 150 km/hr. While facing that delivery on the back foot, the ball quickly hurried onto him and as a result, he had to cope with a blow on his right index finger.
Nevertheless, Samson continued for a brief moment after that blow and hit a boundary and a six. But the swelling quickly escalated once he returned to the dugout. Further scans have hinted towards a fracture which has made life very difficult for him.
Following the conclusion of the England T20I series, Samson returned to his hometown Thiruvananthapuram where he will begin his rehabilitation process at the National Cricket Academy before commencing his training work.
A source close to BCCI revealed that Samson would require five to six weeks (approximately one month) to recover from the finger injury. For him to hit the nets, the star keeper will need to take care of his finger injury first.
"Samson has fractured his right index finger. It will take him five to six weeks before he can resume proper nets. So there is no chance of him playing the Ranji Trophy quarter-final for Kerala (vs J&K) in Pune from February 8-12. In all likelihood, his comeback will happen in the IPL for Rajasthan Royals."
The road ahead for Samson
Samson had a disappointing run in the recently concluded T20I series against England where he only managed 51 runs across five matches with his highest score being a modest 26. Besides, his absence from the Vijay Hazare Trophy also resulted in his exclusion from the Champions Trophy squad.
With no white-ball fixtures scheduled for India between CT 2025 and the end of July, Samson will be in the midst of a long wait to represent his country in the limited-overs format. However, it is expected that Samson will recover just in time before the start of the 2025 IPL season.
